Lesson 322--tight schedule

 

In our last lesson, we looked at the phrase "money is tight".  Today, we will look at two related phrases: time is tight, schedule is tight (tight schedule).

definition

We use this phrase to indicate that we do not have a lot of time, or that we have planned things to fit the schedule exactly and there is no extra time.

examples

John couldn't go out to lunch because his schedule was tight.

The schedule was too tight, so they had to cancel several events.

Because time was tight, the teacher decided to skip some activities.

Lesson 321--Money is tight

 

"money is tight"
 

Phrases that deal with money are always useful.  Today and Friday, I will present some useful ones dealing with your financial picture.

money is tight = you are worried about how much money you have and you are worried about spending it.

examples

When money was tight, Chris brought his lunch to work.

Paul wanted to go to the concert, but money was tight.

Money was always tight growing up, so Martha made sure to be generous to her daughter.

Lesson 316--Easy ordering

I like food like pizza and hamburgers because I can have as many toppings as I want on them.  I like toppings and I wanted to teach you two convenient phrases for getting a whole lot of toppings.

This pizza has the works.

The two expressions are quite simple, but you should be able to use them in many places involving food that has a variety of toppings.

The works

Everything

examples

I'd like a hamburger with the works.

Jimmy always orders his pizza with the works.

 

Grace always has her hotdog with everything.

Lesson 312--a half-assed job

Doing a half-assed job

 

When people are lazy, or even unskilled the work they produce or do is obviously not going to be any good.  We have several phrases to describe this.  They include;

doing a half-assed job

doing piss-poor job

doing a crappy job

doing a crap job

examples

Jimmy did such a half-assed job on his homework that the teacher sent a letter to his parents.

The painters did such a piss-poor job that Matthew refused to pay them.

Bruno is so lazy that he does everything half-assed.

The boss warned the workers that doing a crappy job was not what the company believed in.

 

Other words to consider:

subpar

 

Lesson 305--I Feel like I am (just) Spinning my Wheels

 

This expression is kind of like being stuck in snow, and your wheels aren't gripping.  You are pressing the accelerator, but you're not moving.  You are doing things, but nothing is happening and no progress is being made.  You're working but not getting the results.

Jim.  How's the new job?

I feel like I am spinning my wheels.  I go to work every day, but nothing gets done.

We can't keep having this conversation.  I feel like I am spinning my wheels.  Why can't we solve this problem?

Lesson 304--People You Shouldn't Drive With

 

Here is a short list of people you don't want to drive with.

A Backseat driver:  someone who criticizes your driving or tells you how to drive.  They don't have to be sitting in the backseat.  They might be in the passenger seat.  This is considered a negative word.

A Nervous Nelly:  someone who is nervous when they are a passenger in the car.  They seem tense and stamp on the floor as if to press a brake pedal.

A bad navigator:  someone who can't read a map and/or can't give instructions on how to get someplace.

A Pit-stop Paul:  someone who can't drive for too long without needing to go to the washroom.

A Stereo-searcher:  someone who is constantly fiddling with the radio.  They might be trying to find the perfect song, or they might be constantly adjusting the volume, bass or treble.

Lesson 298--take apart (surprise meanings included)

 

 

Phrasal verbs are quite important.  We can use other words, but you will probably hear the phrasal verb more often than its Latin based counterpart.  Today we look at a word that means disassemble.

take apart

examples

He took apart the television and now I can't watch the Big Bang Theory.

When Judy was finished the puzzle she took it apart and put it back in the box.

Mathew took apart the Lego building he made so he could do it again.

slang meaning  =  to hurt or beat someone

 

 

Manny Paquiao took apart his opponent in the boxing match.

In complete rage, Martha took apart Janice and put her in the hospital.

Lesson 287--Pull Your Socks Up

The English language is full of interesting idioms.  This is one of my favourites.  I think it is because my parents and teachers often used this phrase when urging me to study more or do more homework.

meaning

To put more effort into doing something.  Usually this meant studying or doing your work.  If you are a teacher or a boss (or a parent) you should be able to use this one a lot.

examples

Jim's grades were slipping.  His teacher told him to pull up his socks.

If he pulls his socks up, maybe they can win.

If she wanted to graduate early, Martina would really need to pull up her socks.

With the deadline approaching, Theresa and her team pulled their socks up and got the job done.

Lesson 267--buzzkills and killjoys

It is odd what you find when you do a google search.  She's a buzzkill, but...

 

Thinking back to Wednesday's lesson (Lesson 266), I realized I should have taught you some names for people who take the fun out of things.  The following is a short list, and most of them are slang expressions, but you will find them useful.  By the way, these nouns are all countable.

 

Buzzkill                           Killjoy

Wet blanket                    Downer

examples

Don't invite Craig!  He's such a buzzkill.

Timothy was such a wet blanket than nobody invited him to parties.

Being an absolute downer made Gwen very unpopular.  She was such a killjoy that even her parents found her annoying.

Lesson 161--more useful expressions

My students wanted to know what you call a person who always tells the boss that they are great so that they can get a promotion.  Here are some phrases that mean that exactly.  None of these phrases is positive, so be very careful when you use them because you might offend someone.

 

Nouns

• Ass kisser
• Brownnoser
• Sycophant
• Suck-up
• Apple polisher*

*Though this one appears in my students' dictionaries, it is not common.  I have never used it.

e.g.      Billy is such an ass kisser.

            The boss loves Molly because she is such a brown noser.

Verbs

• Kiss ass
• suck up

 e.g.     Billy is always kissing ass.

            The boss loves Molly because she is always sucking up to her.

 

lesson 160--Word Options including slang

 

 

Because some words in English aren't polite to use (though this changes over time) we have to be creative.  This is especially true when we think of body parts.  The word ass is one of those words we considered to be not so polite, so I thought today I would give you some alternatives to this word.  Not surprisingly, there are quite a few of them.  There are probably more.....because even I don't know them all.

 

• ass
• butt
• arse
• bum
• behind
• backside
• bottom
• buns
• fanny
• rear
• rump
• can
• tush
• tushy
• caboose
• booty
• moneymaker (as in shake your money maker)
• gluteus maximus (Latin name)